Happy Solstice, Korra
by Sy Itha
Summary: Korra and Asami have their first winter solstice together. Short one-shot as a holiday present for all my readers out there.


Korra rolled over in bed and stretched her arm out, groaning in frustration when all she found was an empty spot. She fumbled blindly for a few more minutes before opening her eyes and confirming what she had already guessed: Asami was not there.

With a huff, she tossed her blankets aside and got out of bed, stretching and yawning before rubbing the last of the sleep out of her eyes. She looked around the room. "Asami?" No one answered.

With a groan, Korra grabbed her robe and slipped it on. She glanced out the window as she tied it shut, taking in the sight of Asami's half-decimated estate. Thankfully, enough of the home had stayed intact to function as a proper refuge in the aftermath of Kuvira's invasion.

Korra paused while tying the robe closed when she saw a snowflake flutter past the window, accompanied by another. Slowly, a steady snowfall picked up. Korra grinned. "Isn't that a surprise," she murmured.

Asami was not in the hallway outside their bedroom. Neither was she in her office. Korra continued down the hallway, trying to think where Asami would run away to early in the morning. Finally, she spotted Asami standing in front of one of the large viewing windows. She stood in her robes, arms crossed as she stared out onto the broken and upturned lawn now slowly being coated with snow. Korra approached her and touched her shoulder. "Hey."

Asami turned and looked at her. She seemed confused for a moment, her expression far-off. "Good morning." She unfolded her arms and Korra took her hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Happy solstice." Korra leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled when she saw some of the shadows vanish from Asami's face.

"Happy solstice, Korra." She looked down at their entwined hands. "You know, I've never had someone special on solstice. It was always just me and my dad for the longest time, before..." The words died out.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Korra pulled her into a hug. "Do you wanna sit down?"

Asami nodded and they pulled apart. They settled onto the window seat, Korra leaning against the wall with Asami snuggled up next to her. They still held hands, watching the snow fall. Korra wished she could do something for Asami in that moment, though Asami often told her that her presence was more than enough whenever she was feeling down. Still, this sort of melancholy was not something Korra could relate to. Solstice had been a huge celebration for her for as long as she could remember. There had always been an abundance of people, presents, food, and warmth. She did not want to think about what the celebration must have been like for Asami after losing her father. After Korra had left her.

"He would get me so many presents, you know?" Asami said. Her breath fogged the window slightly.

Korra nodded, though she could not imagine what solstice was like for Hiroshi and his daughter. "My parents would do something special with me, too."

"I remember waking up on solstice and running into my play room. There would always be the most elegant contraptions. Tools, the latest gadgets, a new workbench." Korra snorted as Asami went on. She laughed and nudged Korra. "As if you ever received something remotely dainty for solstice."

"I had a fine collection of water tribe dolls as a kid. Though I made them fight...And a couple of them may have been missing arms and legs."

Asami's eyes widened as she glanced over at Korra. "You played with dolls?" she asked.

"Yeah, until one doll got sick of the other doll's attitude and ignited her in an inferno."

Asami laughed. "You must have been one crazy kid." Instead of responding, Korra nodded. They continued staring out at the snow. "It would have been interesting to have known you when we were little," she said.

Korra laughed. "I doubt we would have hit it off like Kai and Jinora did. I wasn't always this low key."

Asami nodded. "I'm glad we didn't in a lot of ways. I wasn't the best person when I was younger." She sighed and leaned further into Korra. "I was rich and spoiled by my dad. I was under the impression that money would get me what I wanted, and it usually did." She paused. Her hand squeezed Korra's. "I feel like I kind of bought Mako when he and I first got together. I took him out to a nice dinner, paid for his new suit, paid for his sponsorship in the pro-bending matches. I just...saw this nice young man struggling, and thought that if I showed him how well I could take care of him, he'd care for me, too."

"Asami..." Korra did not really know what to say whenever Mako came up in conversation.

"Korra, this has nothing to do with you." She pulled Korra's hand to her mouth and placed a soft kiss on it. "I'm just...trying to make you understand who I used to be." After a few more moments of silence, she continued, "Dating Mako made me realize that I couldn't throw money at things." She smiled. "I was half-tempted to buy you a hoard of presents, something to celebrate our first solstice together, but in the end, I decided that wouldn't be right."

"It would have felt a little weird, honestly," Korra admitted.

"I know, and I think I needed to go through what I did with Mako to understand that money wasn't a solution. I mean, look at the city." She gestured out the window. "Money won't replace the lives lost here." They fell into a lull again, sitting and watching the snow. "I did get you one thing for solstice, however."

"Oh? What is it?" Korra asked.

Asami straightened and dug in her robe pocket for something. "Close your eyes, first," she instructed. Korra did so, waiting with a small smile tugging at her lips. She could hear the rustling of fabric and the soft clink of metal. "All right, you can open them."

Korra did and glanced down. She gasped. Asami held one of the most intricate bracelets Korra had ever seen. The silver wires were carefully woven together in a pattern of spiraling water. Sparkling blue gems lay within the mesh, glittering in the soft morning light. "It's beautiful. Where did you get this?" she asked.

Asami smiled and blushed. "I made it myself." She took Korra's hand and carefully slipped it on. "The hardest part was estimating your measurements without letting you know what I was doing." She tested the give of the bracelet, making sure it wouldn't fall off Korra's wrist. "Do you like it?" she asked.

Korra tried to blink away the tears forming in her eyes. She cupped Asami's cheek and drew her close for a tender kiss. "I love it," she said when they broke apart. "I love you."

"I love you too, Korra." They kissed again. Finally, Asami pulled away and said, "So, how is your solstice going so far?"

"It couldn't be better."


End file.
